This is the first zine of Sugene’s that I’ve carried, and I don’t know how I’ve managed to miss it for so long. Packed in a hand-stamped envelope are three zines – the main zine that has most of the content and a lovely color cover, a small full-color mail art zine, and a scavenger hunt zine that you can complete if you live in Portland. In the main zine, Sugene writes about three major events that happened in April, including the birth of her son (and all the medical complications she encountered), her 33rd birthday, and the passing of her father. She also includes a piece about whiteness, parenting, and Portland; how moving from a city with a lot of diversity to a city that is predominantly white has been difficult for her, and how she worries about her son, as a mixed-race kid, growing up in the area. There’s a lot more in this zine, and it’s so worth the read!

Maranda’s zine was written in a style of a letter to the reader. They (which is their pronoun of choice) write about feeling unsafe in their home at night (especially after someone tried to steal their bike), their appreciation of horticulture therapy that they learned at the mental health treatment center, becoming sober and social interactions as a former alcoholic, and how they no longer identify as a girl or woman. Even though this zine deals with some heavy issues, Maranda focuses on being positive and ends the zine with a suggestionto their readers – write a list of twenty-five things you like about your life. I think this is a fantastic idea, and I plan on putting my list in my next zine!

I’ve been collecting postcards for most of my life, and when Krissy announced this zine, I knew I had to distro it. In the fourth issue of Paper Crush, Krissy writes about the history of postcards, how she began collecting them, why she loves them, becoming a part of a postcard-collectors club. Throughout this zine, you will find black and white images of vintage postcards, and each zine comes with its own vintage postcard as well! This is perfect for the avid collector, those interested in vintage images, or anyone who wants to start collecting. I love it!

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I have some more zines coming in, including OCD Throws Bows by Dirk (which is about his experiences with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and issues #11 and #12 of the comic Milkyboots! Also, we’ll be getting Grow Up!, which is a comic that I picked up at the DC Zinefest about being an adult but not really feeling like one. And finally, I’ll be adding Your Secretary #9/Potty Language #1 split zine by Jami and Toni which is all about their adventures in babysitting. Lots of great stuff to look forward to!

I’ve been putting together a Doctor Who fanzine. I need contributions, mostly about the modern era of Who (9th Doctor onwards). If you want to submit something, please e-mail me and I will send you more info!

George Snowman is holding the Winter Survival Issue of Telegram Ma'am!

The winter season is approaching, which is a perfect time to stay inside and read zines with a cup of hot chocolate – that’s what I like to do, anyway. I also thought now would be a great time to hold a gift card raffle: not only will you have a chance to stock up on some extra zines, but you could also give it as a gift.

Here are the details for the raffle:

1) All orders over $10 are automatically entered in the raffle.

2) Entries into the raffle start today (November 15th), and end on December 15th, midnight Eastern Standard Time.

3) You can enter multiple times.

4) The winner will be picked at random on December 16th and will be notified via e-mail.

5) The winner will receive a $10 Things You Say gift card and instructions on how to redeem it. If you want, I can send the card to an address of your choice as a gift.

That’s it! If you have any questions, feel free to ask here in the comments or send me an e-mail. Good luck!

I’ve met most of the friends I have today through zines. I’m sure that’s true for a lot of people reading this, and I think that’s the best part about making zines. Whatever we do with zines usually requires interaction with other people – exchanging letters and e-mails, meeting up at zine fests, attending zine readings, or going to Staples with a friend to make copies of your split zine. For a bunch of people who mostly identify as shy and socially awkward (or is that just me?), the majority of us are pretty outgoing.

With this blog, I want to create a space where we can talk about zines, share our ideas, and hopefully make some new friends. I’m also going to post contests from time to time, as well as polls, discussion questions, and zinester interviews. There will be other bloggers here as well, and I’m currently looking for additional writers. If you’re interested, just click on the “write for us” link above and send me an e-mail. I’m also open to suggestions for what else you’d like to see here.

So, it’s introduction time. My name is Erin, and I run Things You Say distro. I live in a small town in NJ, right on the Raritan Bay. I write the zine Driving Blind, and hope to put out another issue soon – hopefully a split issue with my boyfriend. I read a lot, but I wish I wrote more. I eat Pringles or Doritos every night before bed, along with a cup of hot tea that contains far too much sugar and lemon. My favorite TV show is Doctor Who and my favorite Doctor is Chris Eccleston – I own two sonic screwdrivers. I am obsessed with Mariah Carey and show tunes, and sometimes wished I lived in NYC so I could drive my wheelchair down to the theater district every day in hopes of running into a Broadway star.

What about you? What zine(s) do you do? What do you like writing about? Where are you from? Are you a dog person or a cat person? Tell me in the comment section